Lessons in Entrepreneurship
“RISK. INSPIRE. CREATE.”
This was the title of an event I went to a few weeks ago hosted by Ignite. The event was a Q&A with the one, the only Jonny Imerman. While he needs no introduction, I’ll go ahead and provide a little background here for anyone who is unfamiliar (or who didn’t read my earlier PR profile on him 😊)
Jonny’s story began when he was fighting cancer at the young age of 26 … While he received loving support from family and friends, he never met anyone his age who was a cancer survivor. He wanted to talk to someone just like him, someone who truly understood and remembered – someone who had already faced the same type of cancer.
And so, Jonny created Imerman Angels to provide that gift for cancer fighters. Imerman Angels introduces each cancer fighter to one survivor who is the same age, same gender, and someone who has already faced that particular type of cancer. A cancer survivor is dubbed the “angel” – walking, talking, living proof to inspire the fighter that he/she can overcome their cancer. This was the beginning of Jonny’s vision and, in 2003, Imerman Angels was founded.
Today, Imerman Angels is an international nonprofit with the world’s largest database of thousands of cancer survivors dedicated to providing 1-on-1 cancer support.
But Jonny didn’t stop there. A serial entrepreneur driven by social impact, today Jonny can be seen on the streets of Chicago with his new venture: CLOZTALK, an e-tailer for premium apparel that showcases the name and logo of great causes in our community. Its mission is to raise awareness and funds for charities, nonprofits and socially minded for-profits and imagines a world where everyone, every day, commits to wearing cause-based clothing.
During this particular event, we learned more about Jonny, his journey through cancer and beyond and how, through it all, he never stopped inspiring and creating. Jonny bravely shared about both his successes and failures and how his experiences on both ends of the spectrum have shaped who he is today.
At the end of the event, we were asked to write down the one thing that stuck with us the most and honestly, I couldn’t think of just one. There were so many moments in this presentation that I resonated with, from an entrepreneur and cancer survivor perspective. For me and so many others, Jonny is an inspiration and proves that while life can throw you some curve balls, you can absolutely come out stronger on the other side
xoxo, Morgan